


palettes

by wingsaloof



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Humor, M/M, Minor Takatoo Tasuku/Yukishiro Azuma, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Social Media, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-05-27 23:03:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15035267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingsaloof/pseuds/wingsaloof
Summary: Yuki is an amateur fashion designer with a team of his own, Azami has a weird family and a YouTube channel on makeup; they find each other by chance and join forces to get a little closer to making their dreams come true.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> we're here trying something new! tbh i have no posting schedule, but i am aiming for an update every two weeks (may come sooner, may come later, either way, it will come someday). please enjoy!
> 
> ps: i had no better ideas for the title

In this world, everything is up to the connections you have, especially when it comes to fashion and you are a 15-year-old kid trying to launch yourself online. Even if your only connections are a bunch of other teenagers with a semi-professional camera, a vacant backyard and a white backdrop.

“Sumi, a little more to the left! Mukkun, can you please raise your arms a little bit?”

“How much longer do I need to keep holding this?”

“Shut up, neo yankee. If you appear on the photo, I’ll tell Kazunari to photoshop Kumon’s brother on you.”

Anyone can become famous online. Even a home-made fashion brand under the name of “Kuma Apparel”, so that’s why Yuki worked so hard every day, between designing, sewing and ordering other people around. In the spam of one year, he managed to assemble a team of models and helpers – unfortunately, all of them had to work for free so far, but maybe one or two years from now they could break even… if only they managed to keep afloat right now.

“Things aren’t looking bright this month.” Banri, his assistant and manager of their online store, whispered to him during a break. “Maybe we should try having a sale before releasing the new stuff?”

“Can we recoup anything like this?” Yuki sighed, feeling a migraine on its way.

“With a special selection, at least we won’t be in the red.”

“I’ll leave it to you, then.” He turned to the group of models, taking a deep breath. “Kazunari, can I take a look at what you have so far?”

 

If Yuki had to point out a weakness of his brand, it would be “lack of visibility”. There is so much you can do by yourself with an Instagram account and no money to invest into advertising. His following was limited, and he had to find a quick way to expand it before the year ended, otherwise, he’d only lose more and more money. Banri said he’d look into more possibilities, such as partnering up with another brand or sponsoring some fashion YouTuber. While that was a good idea, who would affiliate themselves with a no-name teen like him?

Well, at least he had a (somewhat) reliable team. It all started with Muku, his classmate, who while at first looked like a typical cute soft boy, had something different to him in the best way possible. He was Yuki’s top pick for athletic wear, and thanks to that gap, he had become a reliable weapon (even if he disagreed). Then, Yuki was introduced to Muku’s cousins, Juza and Kumon, both very helpful for carrying stuff around for outside shoots, and the younger brother even featured in one of their summer shoots. Juza’s friends from school had heard about the modelling call, and two of them crashed into their meeting one afternoon. Taichi, a redhead grinning from ear to ear, and Tenma, a self-proclaimed “popular actor”, who Yuki later discovered that had starred in a couple morning shows over ten years ago, and that was it. Anyway, even if their motives were questionable, they didn’t look bad, and that was how he got his second and third models.

And then, he met Tenma’s boyfriend, a terribly-dressed college student with greasy-looking hair who insisted to speak with some weird-ass accent. They hit it off right away and that’s how Banri became his faithful assistant, which was the best thing that could have happened to him. After all, Banri’s senior at college, Kazunari, was a skilled photographer and a somewhat online influencer, so after he joined the team, he saw an uptick in the brand’s statistics. Bless that social media addict. Also, as a bonus, he brought his best friend with him, and while Misumi was a whole mystery, he looked good and provided dynamic shots, so it was profit after all.

Going back to the topic of their biggest weakness; even though Kuma was a unisex brand, their models were all male. Banri nudged him about that a while ago, citing a lack of “feminine customers”, but it wasn’t like they knew many girls. Taichi and Kazunari’s sisters were too young for the intended target audience, Banri wouldn’t dare to ask his older sister for a favour, and any other girl they tried to reach out to were either uninterested or wanted payment (fair, but unaffordable).

With his small frame and delicate features, Yuki had heard that he could be a model himself a couple times, but that was without taking into account that he hated cameras. Also, he wasn’t really what they needed right now, in his own opinion. Breathing in, he made a mental note to discuss about this (again) with Banri later. First, they needed to wrap up the shoot.

 

“I already know what this is going to be about, so I brought Kazunari with me.” Banri sipped some orange juice, sitting down on the wooden floor. Meetings were usually held in Yuki’s warehouse (his attic), and since there was little space, no chairs were available. “He’s a better scouter than we’ll ever be.”

“So we’re back to searching for a girl?” Kazunari grinned, opening multiple Instagram tabs on his browser.

“Two or three, if possible.” It was an undeniable truth, most costumers of online fashion were girls, or at least female-aligned. It was a huge share of the market they weren’t tapping into properly, and they needed to fix that immediately. Moving closer to Kazu, Yuki brought his mug closer to his lips, huddling between the college students.

Call him picky, but honestly, Yuki couldn’t find someone satisfying enough in all that time. To be honest, he thought that most of the online models, regardless of gender, were trying too hard sometimes. He aimed for a modest look, something down-to-Earth, and they sure weren’t finding it in their social media. Muku saved him quite the trouble, to be honest, with his cute boy-next-door looks and the friends he brought with him.

At the very least, Kazunari liked doing that kind of thing, brimming full of comments for every girl they came across. Banri would also say something from time to time, but Yuki kept quiet, concentrating, trying to envision his clothes on the models.

The first hour went smoothly like that, but at some point, they ran out of drinks, lights went on outside and they needed a break, Yuki shook his head, his eyes were stinging and he couldn’t tell the difference between the last ten or fifteen girls he had to look at.

“I’ll go get us more juice”, Banri announced, going downstairs – he found himself at home so easily – while Kazunari opened YouTube, claiming it was a refresher, even though he knew Yuki saw his phone buzzing with notifications from a channel he liked. Whatever, the stylist thought while closing his eyes, we’re not going anywhere today.

Cheerful chatter played from the laptop’s speakers, something about zombies and shotguns. A videogame review, probably. He could hear Banri moving downstairs, walking around the kitchen, moving away to the living room. The background noise changed, which meant Kazunari opened another video. This time a girly voice went on about trainee evaluations and grading – something to do with idols? The language spoken would switch up halfway, and why was Banri taking so long, please don’t tell me Tenma caught hold of him and now they’re kissing in his sofa again, please, not while his mother was about to come home…

Clicking away, his friend opened yet another video – how many channels was he subscribed to? This one, at least, was quieter when compared to the previous ones, and Yuki found himself slowly relaxing thanks to the soft background music. A slow voice (which sounded like it belonged to a boy not much older than him) provided basic information on his tools, such as products used on the video and sponsored materials. Foundation, highlighter, eyeliner… Kazunari was taking his job as make-up helper seriously. Good to know.

Peeking at the tutorial, Yuki could see the tools lined up, ready to be applied. The person in charge was nowhere to be seen; he kind of liked that. His opinion was that the craft should be more prominent than the crafter, and this youtuber seemed to agree. Only his hands were visible, pale skin stretched against bony fingers, calloused and bruised from something else than handicrafts. That was brow-raising, but he stopped paying it any mind once the video introduced its test subject.

There was something relaxing on seeing people having their make-up done. In this video, the model was a young woman, probably in her very early 20s, her brown hair pushed back in favour of better applying whatever was needed. Those hands moved around, holding her chin, brushing down her cheeks, fingertips carefully touching under her eyes. Yuki started feeling drowsy – that man’s voice was way too relaxing, and one more time, he closed his eyes, letting himself be carried by the rhythm of his words. He barely registered when Banri came up and sat down by his side again, characteristically sipping his juice.

When he looked at the screen again, the job was done, and in that moment, Yuki felt as if his fate was just spinning him around for fun all this time. This girl looks amazing, he first thought, and then it hit him – they needed someone like her. She wasn’t a Hollywood beauty, but she wasn’t average either. You could bump into anytime in this city, but when you it happens, you’d be unable to apologize, caught up in her looks. Just the kind of girl they were looking for. Pretty, but not outlandish, someone who isn’t going to intimidate you. A girl who could be your friend or your neighbour, and you’d feel a little better every time you see her smile. Her eyes shined through; that guy did some good work with emphasizing their brightness, and the smile on her face was natural, making her blush look less artificial.

“Kazunari. Please contact them right away.” Yuki managed to order, a smile growing on his face. “I want this girl with us.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Are you done yet, Azami? Dinner’s going to get cold.”

“I’ll be going down in a minute.” His focus was all on the computer screen, dragging his mouse across the pad. His favorite video editing program was open, and after he applied some after-effects, all that would be left to do was rendering. Dinner could wait a little more, regardless of what Omi had just said.

His subscribers had been asking for something more casual lately, and he wanted to deliver. Truth be told, although his speciality was special effects makeup, he did a decent job with daily life stuff, and since Izumi was available, they took the chance to record something yesterday. It was a good opportunity to showcase some of his latest sponsors as well.

Good thing he looked older than he really was, because Azami was sure that most brands wouldn’t trust their products to a 14-year-old boy, regardless of how many thousands of subscribers he had. He was aiming for the hundreds now, and having that support was important, especially since it saved a good amount of money. His social media management wasn’t bad either, so it was only a matter of time…

“Azami, get out of your room!” His brother yelled downstairs, and he had to hold back a grunt of disagreement. Standing up, he left the video on rendering mode, and even if he wasn’t up for dinner right now, the smell of whatever Omi had cooked tonight was warming up his appetite.

 

“Sorry for the wait.” Azami grumbled as he went into the kitchen, picking up a plate.

“It’s okay.” Omi smiled, while Sakyo looked like he wanted to scold his little brother. Izumi was chatting something up with him, though, so he wouldn’t say anything soon. “There’s potato gratin, and some minced meat left over from lunch. I made some chocolate mousse for Izumi earlier, but she hasn’t eaten everything, so if you want dessert, you should finish your food before she’s done with hers.”

“Thank you.” It felt a little awkward to be this quiet with Omi, especially when he did so many nice things for his sake. Azami knew he wasn’t good with words, yet, he thought that he should try a little harder once in a while. “I think I’ll leave it to her, though. You know how she is with her desserts.”

Joining Izumi and Sakyo in the living room, the air was a bit suffocating. He was getting more or less used to living in this lovey-dovey environment, but all of it was still too embarrassing for him to bear. Especially when Omi followed after him, teasing Izumi about the damn chocolate mousse.

Azami’s family was weird, to say the least, and at best insufferable. His mother had died when he was about to start elementary school, his father remarried not much later and his new wife had a son who was already a grown adult. Then the happy couple decided to leave some years ago, travelling around the world, which left Azami with his half-brother Sakyo, who was a real hassle and fussed over every single little thing he ever did. Then, one day, his underclassman from college started showing up at home – Azami never questioned how they got to know each other if they did completely different majors, and Omi was too young to have studied with Sakyo, who had already graduated some time ago – and a while after that, a girl started joining the two of them. Her name was Izumi, and she was even younger than Omi, yet, she claimed to be a childhood friend of Sakyo...

And one day, he arrived earlier from school, and found out the three of them huddled in the couch, Omi’s hands on Sakyo’s waist, and Izumi hugging him from behind, one of her hands caressing Omi’s cheek…

It was a miracle that Azami didn’t explode right then, nor when Sakyo told him that his lovers (two of them!) were going to move in. Living together under the same roof before marriage was already scandalous enough, but dating two people at once?! Could they even get married like that? And all of that had been happening under his nose! Since when were the three of them together? How did that happen? Every time he thought of that, Azami’s brain would come dangerously close to stop functioning, so he decided to let go of it as much as he could. At least with Omi and Izumi around, Sakyo seemed to be a little calmer. Omi’s food was good, and Izumi helped him with schoolwork and makeup; they both were kind people who loved his brother and started to love him as well, so… Maybe having this kind of family, even if weird, isn’t bad at all.

But the part where they acted like sick lovebirds was terribly disgusting, and even though the gratin was delicious, he couldn’t swallow all of that at once. Thankfully, they were tactile enough and knew to not make googly eyes at each other during dinner. Rather, Izumi changed whatever was the previous topic.

“Did the video turn out well?” She asked, visibly excited to see herself as a main feature.

“I’m going to post it after dinner. If you want to, you can come upstairs to check it out while the upload is done.”

“I want to see it too.” Omi, like always, was full of smiles. He had appeared in a couple videos before, mostly artistic makeup and his famous ‘how to cover scars’ tutorial, and was popular with his subscribers. “You want to see it too, right, Sakyo?”

“Of course.” His brother munched into the gratin, his expression concealing how delicious it actually was. “By the way, I received another e-mail about a gift box earlier…” Despite being so uptight, Sakyo was very supportive of Azami’s goals. When it came to expenses and connections, he took over the business and managed it to maximize profit – in that case, views. He had always been like this, as far as Azami could remember. After all, he was the one who gave him his camera and paid for his first professional tools kit.

Just like everything else, in the end, he wasn’t that bad.

 

Despite all the fuzz around youtubers, Azami had never made his face public. Not only for privacy’s sake, but also because it was too amusing to see the girls at school commenting on his new video. Complimenting Izumi’s looks and his own skills, his classmates went on about how they should search for that eyeliner after class. It was a success, then. His phone buzzed with notifications from time to time, but class was about to begin, so he decided to check that out later. Sakyo would filter whatever was important anyway, so he’d leave it to him. The week after posting a new video always had that kind of hype, but since it had been a couple days, that should be dying down by now… which meant it was time to record his new video. It was Saturday already, so at least he would have the whole weekend for him and his camera.

Morning passed by like always, average and uninteresting. His notifications, checked during lunch time, weren’t that relevant. If there was anything noteworthy during the day, it went by unnoticed. The only thing able to pick up his attention was a rare text from Omi, received right after class was over: “ _I’m picking you up_ ”, followed by _“An emergency came up, Izumi needs you”_. Immediately, Azami ran out of his classroom, not bothering to apologize to the people he bumped into or pushed away. What happened? What could he help with? Did anything happen to that shitty Sakyo? If Omi was going to pick him up, then where were they going to? The hospital? Izumi’s college? He could hear the roar of Omi’s motorcycle coming from the end of the street, and as soon as he arrived and parked, Azami fired his questions at him.

“What happened to Izumi? Is she okay? Did anything happen to my brother?” Omi visibly regretted his choice of words as Azami caused a commotion – the entire scene was drawing attention by the minute and his screaming wasn’t helping it at all.

“They’re okay, nothing serious happened! I’m sorry for scaring you, Azami.” Handing his spare helmet, he gestured for him to get on the bike. “She needs your makeup skills. We’ll go home so you can get your tools and then we’re going somewhere else. I’ll explain to you on the way.”

His video had quite the good reception, if someone actually scouted Izumi to be a model. According to Omi, a brand named ‘Kuma Apparel’ e-mailed Sakyo some days ago, inviting “your latest video’s model” for a tentative shoot, and if possible, tying up a contract, “with payment to be discussed”. Of course that could be shady, but they offered a phone number and a place nearby to meet up, and upon some searching, they did find their online store and social media profiles, as well as some references of their previous sponsoring of a couple online influencers and fashion bloggers. In any case, both Omi and Sakyo went together with her to a family restaurant yesterday at night, where they personally met their CEO, to say so, and his personal assistant.

“And why am I only hearing about his now?” Azami shouted over the wind.

“We wanted to surprise you with the complete shoot!” Omi yelled back. “Izumi asked us to keep it a secret!”

“Then what happened?”

“Let’s say that things didn’t work as intended.”

Although their head stylist was satisfied with Izumi’s “natural, refreshing” charms, he felt something was still lacking. Of course, since he first saw her in Azami’s video, his makeup was also part of the magic that made Izumi shine with an even stronger light. Therefore, he asked if it was possible to bring the makeup artist to the shooting location, and thus, now they were there, on their way.

Izumi as a model… Did his channel really get that big? To the point of attracting sponsors not only for him, but also for the rest of his family? Azami wondered what kind of brand was this. The CEO himself reached out to Izumi, and the head stylist wanted his work… What if he got a permanent position there? That would be awesome. His work had been favoured in place of their own makeup artists… He needed to check out the dressing room. See what kind of tools and brands they use there, if possible, it would be nice to exchange tips with the other artists there.

All of these thoughts vanished as they parked in front of a suburban house like every other one down the street. The name plate read “Rurikawa”, nothing related to the brand. That was too fucking fishy. Instead of going into the house, he followed Omi around the garden, presumably going to the backyard. How did that shitty Sakyo agree to this? Was this a prank? Some kind of conceptual photo shoot?

“We’re back!” Omi greeted a group of teenagers (!) huddled around Izumi, who was already ready to have her makeup done. “Sorry for the wait. This is Azami, the real owner of the channel.”

All of the boys turned their attentions to him, saying their welcomes all over each other. The only girl in the group, though, was busy discussing something with Sakyo. Who were all these people? What was going on? Azami couldn’t recall ever being this confused during his whole life. Sakyo finally noticed his brother had arrived, and then gestured for him to come closer.

“Fushimi told you everything, right? I’m sorry for keeping this a secret from you. Tachibana forced us to not tell anything or…”

“Sakyo, what the fuck in going on here?”

“Watch that mouth, you little…”

“So you’re the makeup guy?” The girl – wait, no, now that he was closer, Azami could tell he was a boy, his voice was definitely male – spoke up. “Let’s get going with this. You have some real talent, she looks completely different in your video.”

“And you are?”

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself.” He held out his hand, proposing a handshake. “Nice to meet you, I’m Yuki Rurikawa. I’m the owner of Kuma Apparel, as well as the only designer and stylist.”

“I’m Azami Izumida.” Overcome with shock, this was everything that he could reply. That midget was the CEO, who was the same person as the head stylist? Omi really needed to learn to phrase things better. And now he was supposed to work for this guy out of nowhere? Sakyo probably had worked this stuff out with Yuki before, but he needed to hold his ground. “Wait a second. I can’t do this without knowing what I’m getting into. Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on here?”

Yuki breathed sharply, while his group went into a mix of heavy sighing and nervous giggling. And it was then when Azami knew this was going to be a long afternoon.


	3. Chapter 3

“Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on here?” Azami crossed his arms, visibly confused and irritated.

Things had been going a bit too smooth for Yuki lately. Of course something had to come up at the most crucial moment. His gut instinct told him to tell the guy to just shut up and work, but that would be terribly rude of him, even by his standards, and it was obvious his brother hadn’t said a thing about their deal.

“Azami, don’t say it like this…” The bear who tagged along with Furuichi sighed, probably already used to his little brother’s temper. Izumi seemed to be similarly embarrassed, while Furuichi himself looked about to bust Azami’s skull open.

“Shut up, Omi, I have a right to know whatever hell I’m going into. After all, you’re the one who dragged me here and gave me the wrong idea!” Sakyo and Izumi stared at their boyfriend, already imagining what kind of things had come out wrong. Azami didn’t look like it, but he was easy to impress, especially when it came to makeup or his channel. “You can’t just drag me into some joke you three fell for and expect that I play along without complaining. Head stylist? CEO? Studio? Don’t give me that shit, all I see is a bunch of kids playing dress up in their backyard!”

And that was when Azami should have backed off and apologized.

“You don’t give me that shit, you mighty brat.” Yuki scowled, his berserk button fully hit by Azami’s rant. “Who the fuck do you think you are? I don’t care about what you were expecting or what your standards are, but if you’re invited to help and your answer is to look down on our job and shit on it, then you’re more than welcome to leave right away.”

“I’ve never seen Yuki this ready to kill someone.” Tenma whispered, unconsciously moving behind Banri. Muku, who was already hiding behind Tenma, nodded, praying that Azami’s brother could slap some sense into him before his classmate does it.

“If he doesn’t kill him, then I’m doing it.” Banri’s frown had grown into a wicked smile, a relic from his high school times filled with delinquency. He hasn’t fought with anyone in a while (except for his occasional thrown punches with Hyodo), but this guy here was begging to be thrashed.

“Hey, if this leaks out, it’ll be terrible PR…” Kazunari winced, yet, his phone’s camera was already on filming mode. Hell if that wouldn’t make a great Vine, he just needed Taichi to scream some funny catchphrase. Unfortunately, the main actor looked too panicked to play the part.

“We just gotta be careful, then!” Kumon smiled, an uncharacteristic sinister aura around him. “Please turn your phone off, Kazu-san.” Muku flinched harder, burying his face on Tenma’s jacket, muttering something close to ‘we’re doomed’.

Before any of them could make a move, though, Sakyo’s fist came down into Azami’s head. “When did I raise you to be such an idiot? Apologize immediately!” For once, Omi didn’t come to his rescue, or Izumi tried to calm things down. ‘Did I fuck up this hard?’, he thought. His brother’s punch helped him to calm down, and seeing things a little more objectively, the answer was ‘yes’, he fucked up hard. If anyone dared to speak of his passion like that, he’d fly immediately at their throat. As the weight of his words fell down on him, Azami blushed hard, and it got even worse after he saw Yuki’s smirk as he noticed it. Fuck, shitty Sakyo was right, he was an idiot. And one who was bad at apologizing too.

“Whatever.” He turned back to Izumi, unpacking his tools. “You already washed your face earlier, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s get going with this.”

The air was still heavy with tension, but the teenagers seemed to calm down as Yuki also turned around and announced he was getting some water. Muku and Taichi followed after him, saying they were going to help, and Kumon joined them, warning his cousin that he’d end up wetting his own clothes. Tenma didn’t let go of Banri, who turned around and was patting his hair, the former sighing from relief. Kazunari tried to light up the mood striking up some conversation with Omi, who watched Sakyo trying to not bust a vein.

Fortunately, Azami stayed quiet for the whole afternoon, as Izumi posed according to Kazunari’s orders. With Muku and Tenma by her side, she started to loosen up; her actions were getting more and more natural after each picture. Yuki had brought out some of his best design ideas for this shoot – from sunflower-patterned dresses to formal vest, blazers matching with high heels, her hair put up on a bun. By then, Omi had asked to shoot some pictures by himself (he brought his own camera, way better than Kazunari’s, the team wondered how much they’d have to save up to get one of those), and Izumi laughed at his jokes and comments.

To be honest, that was one of the things that made Sakyo’s mood go up. Izumi looked beautiful, and mostly, she looked like she was having fun. Even if she only met the boys two hours ago, she was at ease, comfortable with hugging and playing with them. Omi also looked like he was having a great time, it had been so long since he had the time to take pictures – Azami watched his brother as these thoughts went through his mind. A weird taste had taken over his mouth, something bitter like regret. He was mad at the time, sure, but it wasn’t his place to criticize complete strangers. ‘What a blockhead’, he thought, ‘I’m a dumbass.’

Meanwhile, Yuki Rurikawa watched everything away as possible from him, sitting in his little chair, leaving the art direction to Kazunari. Azami knew he should apologize, but he had no idea of how to do it. How to approach Yuki, how to not step on a landmine – not only because contacts and reputation are important, but also because that kid probably still wanted to murder him right now.

 

The sun had already left the horizon when they wrapped things up, Kumon and Taichi commemorating as their helping duties were done.

“That’s what you two think”, Banri said as he dragged them by their arms. “You’re helping with setting the table up.”

“You’re staying for dinner, right?” Muku, still wearing his last change of clothes, was still all smiles, despite his tiredness. “Yuki’s mom is a great cook!”

The lovers looked at each other, unsure of how to answer, while Azami just followed the rest of the group, helping bring things to the house. Izumi tried shooting Sakyo with her best convincing smile. “Well, it’s a commemoration, right?”

“I can help Ms. Rurikawa, if she’s already cooking.” Omi added.

“Sure. We’d be happy to join.” Sakyo finally conceded, making Muku skip around with happiness.

“Great! I’ll go change my clothes and then I’ll help you too!” He started running towards the entrance. “Please make yourselves at home!”

“It’s not even his house…” Sakyo grumbled, not loud enough for him to hear.

“Well, it kind of is?” The trio hadn’t noticed when Misumi arrived, making their hearts almost jump out from their mouths. “Yuki’s house is a little like everyone’s house~ His mom always says that we’re all welcome here!” His cheery tone showed his fondness for Ms. Rurikawa. “So this is our home as well!”

 

The last time Azami had seen a dinner room so crowded was at his father’s marriage. Actually, scratch that. They had leaked long ago into the living room. Yuki’s mother, a short lady still in her 30’s, ran around the kitchen while singing praises about Omi, on how he was a “wonderful handsome young man” and how “he shouldn’t ever let go of a frying pan”. She even complimented him on Azami’s health, arguing that “this boy must be eating really well” or something like that. Sakyo had resigned himself to a corner of the dinner table, occasionally answering some of Ms. Rurikawa’s questions. Izumi was pretty popular with the boys, now talking with Kazunari and Banri about college life, impressively ignoring Misumi sitting – or rather, swinging himself – on the window by her side. Taichi cheered on him, while Kumon sent pictures of it (and the rest of the day) to his older brother. Muku and Tenma, tired from a whole day’s work, were slouched on the couch, watching re-runs of variety shows on TV.

Despite all the noise, Azami had to admit – it was a warm house. Filled with weird people, but yet; they accepted him to have dinner with them, despite not looking at their face for the whole afternoon. They were kind people, he thought. And honestly, that made the whole episode even worse. Some of the boys glanced his way once in a while, but he couldn’t decipher what were their intentions. His only interaction the whole evening was when Muku came up to him to tell dinner was ready. Even then, he stayed sitting down in the stairs, away from the party. Until when Banri called his way for help, he hadn’t heard anything else.

“Hey, we need some extra arms to take the equipment upstairs.”

Some mannequins, props and outfits still were left in a corner of the living room. Azami had heard that Yuki’s warehouse and studio, as Omi would have put it, was actually in the house’s attic. Muku and Kumon were napping on the couch, stuffed after all the good food; Kazunari and Misumi had left after dinner because of some other matter they had to attend to, and Taichi decided to follow them since they’d pass by his house on their way. The adults were now casually drinking with Yuki’s mom, while the boy himself was already upstairs, looking at the pictures taken earlier. That left Tenma and Banri, and judging from how they looked at each other, it was a good thing that Banri had enough sense to get work done before they jumped into each other – providing a chance for Azami to run away so he didn’t have to see it.

He decided to get to it right away and maybe then run to the backyard, since his family probably wasn’t going to stop drinking any soon. At least they wouldn’t sleepover, thank God, Sakyo was very against it in any occasion. Choosing to take on a pile of folded clothing, he started making his way up. The fabric rustling against his hands felt soft, and close up he could see the details of the embroidery. Delicate handwork, as opposed to some parts visibly sewn by a machine. Proof of Yuki’s efforts. He had to apologize before going home.

The narrow hallway lead him to an ever narrower staircase, the last obstacle before the attic. Yuki was alone there right now, as Banri and Tenma, as predicted, ended up busy with other stuff downstairs. Maybe asking for help was just a way for them to get rid of him. Fair, Azami thought.

Announcing his entrance, he stepped into the studio.

The walls were filled with pinned up drawings and sketches of outfits, a number of mannequins stood around wrapped in all kinds of cloth. The table with the sewing machine was more or less the only organized place in the whole room, tied with a shelf filled to the brim with worn-out, mostly second-hand books, probably on fashion design and all that stuff. The designer himself was on the floor, focused on his laptop, barely noticing Azami’s presence. He had to clear his throat and announce himself again to catch Yuki’s attention.

“Oh, thanks.” He replied, absent-minded. “Leave it on the table next to the machine.” Doing as asked, Azami put down the clothes, thinking of what to do next. His mind was as blank as it had been the whole day, so he ended up just standing by the table. Of course, there was no way Yuki wouldn’t notice him petrified in a corner of his attic. “You don’t need to do anything else, sorry if Banri forced you. You can leave already if you want to.”

“I did it because I wanted to.” Why did everything he said sounded so aggressive, or lazy? Azami thought he needed to work on that. “I wanted to help. You all did so much today, after all.”

Yuki looked up from his laptop – a good sign.

“I also wanted to apologize for earlier.” It came out in a single breath, like a sigh of relief. “I was a little shocked and I didn’t act reasonably.”

“You sound like your brother, talking like that.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t tell me to do it, I’m doing it by myself.” The last thing he’d like Yuki to assume was that he was just following orders from Sakyo. “I was thrown off and instead of realizing that I was aiming too high, I lashed it out on you and your team. To make it simple, sorry for being an ass.”

“It’s okay. I noticed when you saw you screwed up.” He turned his attention back to the laptop. “Your expression was worth it. Thanks for your hard work today and be careful when you go downstairs. Don’t look at the couch.”

That was it? It had been so easy; he thought Yuki would lash off at him again, but he’d just stay quiet, after all, Azami thought he deserved it. But he had even thanked him for his work. Shame hit him again, as he realized – Yuki is such a good person. And so mature, if compared to him, who just threw a tantrum over something so feeble.

“You’re not going to say anything else?”

“I’ve heard worse, Azami. You were nervous and a little shocked, and you’re just a kid. Not that I’m much older, but fortunately you are surrounded by people who support you and even shield you, so I can’t expect much. As long as you realize that you indeed were being a brat, there’s isn’t much I can do.”

Yuki’s reasoning raised some flags in Azami’s mind, but honestly, he was too tired to say anything else. He should be grateful and accept that Yuki was forgiving him. Now he had to apologize to everyone else as well, and even to Sakyo and his lovers later. That could wait a little, though – now that he was freed from the burden, it was if all the weight of standing around being remorseful had hit him.

“Also, I think I should tell you my mother really, really likes to drink when she has someone to do it with her so. Your siblings are screwed.” Yuki added, going back and forth through pictures.

“Can I stay here, then? I mean, in the attic.”

“Sure. Want to take a look?” Azami sat down as Yuki moved the laptop closer to him. He still felt weird, but at least a little relieved. He’d make it up for Yuki next time, he thought, promising to himself to never, ever judge a book by its cover anymore.

 

 

Later that night, in a district quite far away from the Rurikawa household, lots of reporters and photographers stumbled their way through a hotel lobby. Most of them hadn’t ever been able to step into such a luxurious space outside of work, and the younger professionals seemed too starstruck to be able to focus on the task at hand.

As the main guest of the night stepped into the room, though, all attentions were brought to him.

Long white hair tied in a braid, an Italian suit decorated with a little camellia hairpin. Azuma Yukishiro, the mysterious heir of a multinational business, had all of his steps recorded and photographed by every single person in the room. Not only beautiful, he was also skilled – his wisdom over hair and makeup had landed him many collaborations over the years. Although he wore a peaceful expression, the press knew he was about to make an important announcement. If anything, his companions were a sign that this was a high class event.

Some of the most important names of the beauty industry were following him, starting from the man by his side. Tasuku Takato, sportsman-turned-actor who was able to sell out magazines whenever he was a cover feature – and also known as Azuma’s trophy boyfriend. Tsumugi Tsukioka, acclaimed model since his teenager years, not only for his soft expressions and body language, but also for his good manners and great reputation amongst both fans and press. Right behind them was Homare Arisugawa, fashion designer with international fame, in all his eccentricity and creative genius that had stepped into nearly all huge runaways around the world. Following him were Guy Nishiki – another millionaire, owner of multiple business, able to negotiate over anything, some said – and Hisoka Mikage, Azuma’s cousin and one of the other heirs of the company, seemingly there only because of PR.

In summary, it was a press conference headlined by people who could buy the whole hotel, if they felt like it.

“First of all, I’d like to apologize for the absence of our third partner, Chikage Utsuki.” Azuma talked with ease even standing in front of a crowd that huge. “He’s currently busy overseas, working on some matters that we will cover during this interview.

“Tonight, we all have gathered here to talk about the importance of our future. In this online era, I’m sure that all of us have seen wonderful works brought to us by young people. These kids are the future of all industries, and fashion isn’t an exception. We need to give incentive to these young adults, help them with breaking through. And this is why”, an image flashed in the screen behind them. “We are now announcing that we are launching a platform to attract more eyes to these still unknown talents.”

The cameras flashed non-stop as journalists expressed their feelings on the announcement. As Azuma opened his mouth again, though, all noise came to a halt. “Of course, this isn’t just a simple showcase. We plan to guide many people through development, and that’s why we are also announcing that we’re launching a competition!

“Young designers, managers, models and makeup artists will produce a photo shoot together, available for the public to vote on. The most voted, as well as the judge’s pick, will win the chance to study at our institute, with workshops taught by this team present here! Not only that, but all costs will be covered as long as you can impress us enough.

“Of course, only complete teams are allowed to take part on it, so reach out there and find someone to work with you!” Azuma smiled, staring straight at the camera. “This is an once-in-a-lifetime chance and I hope participants will make the best out of it. To all the young people out there who have a dream – we will be waiting for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah the azuma/hisoka/chikage cousin thing is just me working the "august is azuma's brother" theory into here. august/hajime was the original owner of the business and they are his heirs. also chikage is overseas in zahra talking to a very special sponsor (wink wink)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone... i hope you like info dumps and omi fushimi

After the shoot was done and uploaded, Azami didn’t hear from Yuki for a whole month.

Not that he was actually expecting any form of contact after business was done, it wasn’t possible for the boy to do photo shoots all year round, and even if he needed help, he probably had other contacts. It just happened that last time, Azami was the closest person to reach out to, since his family was involved in the project. Nothing more than that, it was all for practicality’s sake.

 He wished he had talked more to Yuki, though. It would make things much easier right now, he thought while staring at his phone’s screen. The internet browser was open, displaying a “sign up” page. Azami didn’t dare to click it, after all, he had no one to work with him; he couldn’t do it by himself. Damned rules.

What kind of luck was that? The chance of his life was there, ready for him, yet, he couldn’t take it. “The” Azuma Yukishiro, the man Azami had admired for years, had opened a competition and the main prize was a workshop with him as the teacher. The boy would kill to take part in something like this, really, that wasn’t an exaggeration; he really would be able to murder with his bare hands to be taught by his role model. But there was one thing stopping him – only a full team could sign up to the battle. This meant having a designer, models, a photographer, a manager. Basically everything Yuki had, except for a makeup artist. Azami tried to not think about it at first, but time was passing, and no one had invited him. Most of his contacts were either over the cut-off age of 21-years-old, or already had a complete team, or wouldn’t be able to complete it and gave up.

Therefore, Kuma Apparel could be the only chance he had to take part in this competition. Everyone was young, Yuki was ambitious, and they didn’t have a steady makeup artist! It all fell into place, except the part where the whole team probably still hated Azami for his fuck up and even after getting Yuki’s contact from Sakyo, he didn’t have enough courage to mail him. Even if things got better later that night, when they silently edited pictures together in Yuki’s attic until Sakyo called him from downstairs, asking for help to carry a drunk Izumi into a taxi cab.

The end of sign-ups date was drawing closer and he could feel the opportunity slipping away from his fingers. His father and brother didn’t raise a coward, why was Azami hesitating so much? The worse he could get was a rejection, but until then, he still had a chance. Changing tabs to his e-mail app, he started typing a message as politely as he could. Ticking a mental checklist, he apologized for the sudden contact, explained the situation, tried too hard to not sound intrusive.

All of that vanished as a notification popped up, alerting that a message had come from an unknown e-mail.

 

“Good night,

It’s Settsu from Kuma Apparel here, it has been a while. We have a proposal for you, Izumida. Have you heard about the Palettes competition organized by Moonlight, Azuma Yukishiro’s company? I suppose you have, after all, who hasn’t, right? To make things easier, we’re a makeup artist short of having a full team. Are you interested in joining us?

Please answer as soon as possible. Thank you.”

 

‘Miracles happen’, Azami thought as he typed up his answer, shaking with excitation. ‘Mom, if that was your doing up there, thank you very much.’

 

“Good night,

Thanks for the invite. I’m in.”

 

 

“Let’s arrange a meeting”, Banri said to him after their agreement, some days ago, and now they were gathered in the Rurikawa household’s attic. Azami had talked with Yuki’s assistant a couple times during that period in-between semi-formal conversations and Banri quieted a little his anxiety over working again with the Kuma staff. Seems that all of them shared Yuki’s thoughts – as long as Azami realized he has been a jerk, it was okay for them, since they all could notice his regret right away.

Thanks to that, now he could sit down by their side, relaxed and able to pay attention. Yuki stood up, ready to start the meeting. “I guess we should start by the basics.” The boys perked up, eager to listen. “I’m going to explain the event again.”

“We’re taking part in a fashion competition organized by some huge names in the industry. We have to create a whole digital photo book, ranging from 70 to 85 pages, following a theme that’s yet to be announced. It’s going be tough and it’s going to be a lot of work, so I’m counting with everyone’s cooperation.” The group nodded, affirming their will to help. Yuki nodded back with a smile, well-aware that teamwork wouldn’t be lacking between them. “We’re going to get in first by the general public’s vote, and then we need to be picked up by one of the judges. All of them will have to choose a different team, so we have six chances. In the worst case possible, there will be an extra judge’s pick for those who didn’t made the public top 10. Let’s take a look at who we need to impress first.

“So, our judges were gathered by this man – Azuma Yukishiro, CEO of Moonlight, a huge company which specializes in beauty products. Makeup, skincare, hair treatment, all that stuff. They’re also the main organizer and sponsor of the competition. They’re also responsible for the workshops the winners will be joining, taught by the judges themselves. Our mister Yukishiro is also the head of the judges and a legend when it comes to beauty products… and he’s in charge of the hair and makeup classes which Azami will be taking if we win.” A picture of Azuma during the press conference was on display on Yuki’s laptop. His confident demeanour showed through the screen – Azami really wanted to have a chance to learn from this man. Yuki crouched and clicked on to the next picture.

“This is Tasuku Takato. An ex-soccer player, had to retire after an injury. Decided to chase his old passion for acting, it worked and now that’s what he does for a living. He’s a pretty good actor, if I may say so, and besides that he’s an exclusive model for Men’s non-no and Yukishiro’s boyfriend.” The picture changed one more time. “By his side is his old friend, Tsumugi Tsukioka. They act and model together a lot, thanks to their chemistry. While Takato is more focused on movies and stage plays, Tsukioka is more seen on magazines than on TV. Together, they’ll be teaching the models’ workshop, which will also focus on expanding their careers.”

“Yukki, I think that’s the perfect time to tell them about that!” Kazunari grinned, looking at his friends with anticipation.

“Right. We can use as many models we want to in the shoots, but the workshops are only available for two models per team. So if we win, we’re sending Tenma and Muku.”

“What, me?” Muku quickly interjected, unable to believe in Yuki's words. Tenma was an obvious choice, of course, it was his dream to be a recognized actor and that was the perfect chance, but Taichi had much more drive than him to become a successful model; Kumon was more energetic  and spontaneous than him when facing a camera, the same applied to Misumi, who had the classical model looks. There was no reason why they would choose him, was it because they pitied him? Was it because there were already better opportunities in sight for the others? He was just an insignificant fly, someone who intruded in, just a living mannequin–

“We voted to choose who should go.” Banri interrupted his train of thought. “You were tied with Tenma, we all agreed right away on both of you.”

“We chose you because you have talent, Muku. You’re cute when you have to be, you’re cool when you have to be, you’re handsome when you have to be. You follow directions easily and in all these months I’ve never had a complaint about you, because you’re that good. Now moving back to the screen.” Yuki spoke up before Muku could go on. By the look on their faces, Azami could tell that this was a common occurrence. How could someone with such low self-esteem be a model? A part of his mind, though, once again told him to stop judging his now-teammates. Instead of dwelling on Muku’s thoughts, he focused on Yuki’s introductions again.

“Our next judge is Homare Arisugawa. Terrible hair, but great sense outside of that. We have different styles, but I admire his works, he’s very creative and innovative. Also, he’s known worldwide, one of the current top stylists. Obviously, he’ll be my teacher in the fashion workshop.

“The last two men present are Hisoka Mikage and Guy Nishiki. Mikage is the sleepy-looking one, by the way. He’s Yukishiro’s cousin and one of the heirs of Moonlight, who was originally founded by Yukishiro’s late older brother. Nishiki is an entrepreneur coming from a little middle-eastern country named Zahra. From what I’ve seen online, he owns basically half of the country and is close to the royal family. Very powerful. In regards to the competitions, he is the other sponsor and will be handling PR and all the bureaucratic parts. Besides that, surprisingly he’s also a teacher; his workshop will be on management, which means neo yankee will be lucky to learn from him.”

“I can’t wait to see how that’ll look on my curriculum.” Banri snorted, looking like he didn’t mind the nickname at all.

“Last but not least, we have Chikage Utsuki, who wasn’t present at the press conference.” Azami saw Kazunari moving around from the corner of his eye. “He’s the third and final heir-slash-cousin, and while he’s responsible for the company’s business affairs, he was head of the marketing division while Hajime Yukishiro was still alive. He’s very skilled at visual design and building a brand, so he’ll be sharing his knowledge with Kazunari during his workshop, hopefully.

“I will sign in our team later today, and the theme should be revealed later this month. We can’t wait until it’s up, though; we’ll already start going into the planning stages.” Banri and Kazunari picked up their bags, searching for their planners and materials. Azami realized he should have brought something to take notes as well. “Like I said, it’s going to be a tight schedule. We’re going to take turns at everything, except for Kazunari, Banri and Azami, so be extra nice to them, I guess.”

Azami couldn’t help but sigh, thinking of how much money would go into replenishing tools. Good thing there was a financial compensation for winners, so he could pitch it to Sakyo as an investment.

“Oh, Yuki, you forgot to talk about the winners’ money prize.”

“What prize?” The models started asking all over each other, while Banri laughed.

“There’s also a financial bonus for the top three teams…”

“How much?” Taichi’s eyes gleamed with greed.

“First place gets 300 grand.”

The room shook with excited screaming as the boys went crazy. “We are a team of nine…” Kumon started counting on his fingers. “That leaves each of us with… 3000?”

“You forgot a zero, it’s approximately 33000.” Yuki sighed as the commotion intensified. “But don’t get too excited, we need to recoup and cover our costs…”

“I’m buying a new skate!” Taichi announced.

“Then I’m getting my brother a new bike!” Kumon cheered.

“We can’t count our chicken before they hatch…”

“I’m going to give everyone a Super God Sankaku!” Regardless of what Muku just said, Misumi went along with the other boys.

“That’s why I didn’t want to talk about this now…”

“I’m sorry…” Azami bowed in all of his sincere regret.

 

Thanks to Yuki, who lent a couple of sheets and pens to everyone who wanted to note dates down, Azami could have a better understanding of his schedule. It wasn’t an exaggeration, they’d be working every weekend, and at least in two weekdays as well. Of course, there was more to do than shooting – there was editing and extra planning, so in summary, he’d be spending a lot of time with the non-model trio.

“Looking forward to working with you, Azamin!” Kazunari winked at him.

“Same here.” He replied, trying to match the photographer’s smile.

 

“You’re going to be really busy, right? I’ll pack you some extra snacks along with your lunch.”

“If it’s okay with Mrs. Rurikawa, I can go over and make curry for all of you!”

“Don’t give them any trouble again, and don’t forget about your grades.”

Something that Azami really hated was being the centre of attentions during dinner time, especially if Sakyo was included. With questions and observations coming from all sides, his answer was either silence or a change of subject. Therefore, his pick this time was the second option.

“Yuki invited you three to come over and watch whenever you want to. You can’t take part in anything because of the age limit…” After all, since it was a competition geared towards young creators, there were restrictions to who could sign up.

“What’s the cut-off?”

“Twenty-one.”

“So close!” Izumi whined, not caring to hide how much she wanted to model again.

“Fushimi, you’re still twenty-one.” Sakyo looked up from his salad.

“Kazunari particularly really wanted you to come over again.” Azami chimed in. “Said he really liked your shots and want to get some tips from you. Also, I’m sure that he and Yuki would like to have another photo staff.”

“Let’s go, Omi.” His girlfriend cheered on. “Even if it’s just to watch.”

“I’ll think about it.” Then, standing up, he shortly added, “Anyone wants seconds?”

It was no secret for any of them that Omi loved photography. It was an old hobby, according to him, but it was rare to see him carrying around a camera. At the time, Azami was too busy feeling down, but later on, he was surprised to remember he actually took pictures of Izumi. This was what encouraged him to give Omi some incentive to participate in the competition. He was skilled, had good sense and was praised by Yuki before. And it would be great for them to have someone like him on their team, not only regarding his talent, but also because it would allow them to not overwork Kazunari. But he couldn’t force Omi to do something he didn’t want to, so that’s why he was glad that Izumi and Sakyo seemed to agree that this would be a good opportunity for their boyfriend. If only he indeed followed his words and thought about it.

 

When Omi and Izumi moved in, the first thing Sakyo did was buy a new bed. There was no way the three of them could fit into his old single, modest-sized bed. Influenced by Izumi, he decided to invest and get a king-size that could provide them much needed comfort. Of course, sacrifices were needed for that, and now there was basically nothing else in the room, but that was the price of love.

Sakyo and Izumi were already enjoying the softness of the mattress when Omi came in, fresh out of the shower. While Izumi reviewed her annotations and Sakyo skimmed through an article, their attentions were moved to the half-naked, wet man in their doorstep. He didn’t seem to notice their gazes as he got dressed, so he was startled when his boyfriend cleared his throat.

“I’m going to get straight to the point. I think you should work with Azami’s team.”

Instead of replying, Omi just settled down between them, turning the TV on. While Sakyo had a direct approach, Izumi was unsure if she should follow up on his remark. “It will be a good experience for everyone, I think. And you will be able to expand your portfolio.”

“You two already know how I feel about this. I’m not worth of doing this.”

Sakyo sighed for the umpteenth time that day, and looked away when Izumi seemed to shoot daggers from her eyes at him. “We know that you feel insecure, and that’s okay.” She embraced him. “But it’s not good to dwell on the past. And I know pretty well that’s not what Nachi would have wanted for you.”

“You don’t even need to use his camera, if you’re scared of breaking it.” The older man put aside his magazine. “They already have one there, right? You can ask to use it.”

“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t use his camera.” His girlfriend moved closer to him, tugging on his shirt. “Because it’s not digital, Izumi, don’t worry, it’s not as deep as you think. I’m glad you both support me, but it’s not something I feel comfortable with.”

“Is it because you don’t feel like you’re good enough for professional work, or is it because of him, after all?” Sakyo hugged Omi, pulling him closer. He wasn’t one for physical affection, the three of them were well aware of that, but the man knew how to play his cards to convince his boyfriend. Also, he wasn’t cruel to the point of denying Omi his needed comfort and affection. “Like Tachibana said just now, your friend just wanted you to be happy. I’m sure that this hasn’t changed until today.”

“I’m going to think about it.” The bad part of sharing your bed with two people is that Omi couldn’t just turn around and avoid the other party’s gaze. The only possible option was to close his eyes, and so he did.

“Promise me you’re really going to.” Izumi kissed his forehead, holding his hand.

“He has to. He knows he can’t live in the past foreve–” Sakyo’s reply was interrupted by a yelp of pain as his girlfriend kicked his leg. Their boyfriend couldn’t help but giggle at the interaction; it was so typical of them to act like this. It was so cute. They were different in their arguments and methods, but Omi was aware that the two of them just wanted the best for him, for him to be happy doing what he loves.

“Just give me some time, okay?” Closing his eyes again, he relaxed against Sakyo’s warmth. Izumi took that as a cue and moved closer, snuggling against him. It was so easy to fall asleep like this, Omi thought. This is miles away from when he would doze off at some hidden alley while waiting for his mates.

 

 

 

‘You like taking pictures, don’t you?’

They had agreed to meet at sunset that Thursday. Nachi had spent the whole day cleaning up his house, according to his complaints, and found all sorts of things inside the basement. Useless stuff that were nothing more than litter to him, but could be useful if they found new owners. One of these belongings was an old vintage camera, which was quickly handed to Omi as soon as he arrived.

‘I think the film is still on, try taking a photo.’

Throwing his arms around his mates’ shoulders, Nachi posed with a bright smile on his face. Fumbling a little with the camera, Omi took some time to press the shutter. Seconds later, a small photo came out from it, the image pictured still undistinguishable.

‘Now you finally have a new camera! Weren’t you complaining that your old one broke?’ He grinned as Omi thanked him. ‘You’re welcome, man. Make good use of it!’

 

 

‘Can you do me a favour?’

Nachi had always been very straightforward. When he appeared at Omi’s house wearing a suit, he couldn’t even get surprised – somehow, it was a very Nachi thing to just show up like that, asking him to do something.

‘I want you to take some pictures of me.’ He adjusted his tie. ‘Be sure to get my best angles.’

He was unusually serious that day. He really made sure Omi got the best shots possible, and even ran to the convenience store when they ran out of film. For some reason, this shoot was really important to his friend.

‘Thank you for going along with my whims, Omi.’ Nachi’s smile was obviously tired after the whole session. ‘I’m sure this won’t be my last demand, though.’

He may have asked ‘what do you mean’ or ‘when are you dropping by again’, his memory wasn’t good about his part. Nachi’s answer, though, was clear as if it was happening before his eyes right now. He stayed in silence for a couple instants, and then said it.

‘You’re still going to take a lot more pictures of me. Amazing money-making pictures.’ His gaze was confident, staring deeply into Omi’s eyes. ‘And these pictures are going to become famous. Because I’m going to get huge, and you’re coming with me, man. You are, right?’

Of course.

‘Promise me?’

I promise you.

‘Guess I’ll be going, it’s so late already. We will be meeting with the gang the day after tomorrow, right?’

Nachi never showed up again.

 

For a long time, everything felt so much like Nachi. His motorcycle, the convenience store around the corner, the back alleys they’d hang out at, the beach, his way back from school. Every single thing was so heart-wrenching painful to him – Nachi had left his mark into all of Omi’s surroundings, his presence felt essential to Omi’s own. Being robbed away from him so soon into their lives was revolting, frustrating, it was… he didn’t have enough words to describe how furious he felt at Nachi’s fate. And at the same time, everything felt so empty, so devoid. Now that there was no Nachi anymore in this world, it felt like living had lost its meaning. The only thing left was the little things he forgot behind, like a jacket or an old magazine he hid on his bedroom. And of course, his old camera.

That camera was more than a simple gift to Omi; it was a sign of Nachi’s trust and hope for their future. He had plans for his career, a dream, friends who loved and supported him; he had talent, he had a promise and everything was taken away from him in a split second. Omi started to dread looking at that camera, because it reminded him of too much. Photography went from a dear hobby to something repulsive, with too many feelings attached to the simple noise of the shutter going off.

And the years passed by like that, with Omi merely dragging his own weight through life. He left the gang, graduated high school, started college. Since cooking was one of his few sources of happiness, he decided to focus on it, choosing it as his future job. And during a college festival, he met an alumnus who fell in love with his food. He had a younger brother and it was only the two of them, so he wanted to get better at cooking. They started talking to each other and Omi would feel warm at that man’s discreet happiness when he got a recipe right, or when he was too focused and ended up doing weird faces, or when his glasses slid off his nose on accident. The only other person who could make him feel like that was his underclassman who shared some electives with him, and they got along really well. She was a cute young girl who loved experimenting with all kinds of food and was especially passionate about spices. They had some group works together, and hit it off pretty well. Later that year, he remembers the lukewarm feeling when the alumnus and the girl got to know each other – and they seemed to get along too well sometimes. It was something that Omi had never felt before, a deep jealousy over someone who wasn’t even his, and the worst part was that he wasn’t even sure which one of the two was making him feel like that.

But then things ended up working out, and Omi started to think that life isn’t that bad sometimes. But that camera reminded him of how terrifyingly unfair it was, and that's why he couldn't bear to pick it up.

 

 

His night was filled with a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know that in a3 canon omi's struggle is to 'stop running away from the past'... i ended up inverting things a little here
> 
> also yeah, omi loves izumi so much he used his camera to take pictures of her. that's real romance right there


End file.
